


The Gift

by falling_light



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 05:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falling_light/pseuds/falling_light
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After moving in together, Jade and Saphir receive a large package. Who sent it, and just what exactly is it?</p><p>Note that this was one of the fics I originally uploaded to my Tumblr, and it is an expansion of a set of prompts that I did to exercise my writing muscles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gift

The first sign that Jade knew something was up was when the door opened, but it took a few moments before footsteps were heard. Once they sounded, they were at irregular intervals. Saphir always walked in an odd manner - his limp was to blame - though this was weird even for him. Jade assumed that it was another one of Saphir’s ‘big deliveries’ (as they had been come to known), and as usual he was struggling to carry it in. The man had been talking about a capacitor as of late after all. 

What Jade didn’t expect was for the willowy man to come into the living room with his package; or at least that was what he saw eventually. His initial sight was a large box carried by a being with red arms and purple legs, if he had to describe it. Saphir quickly found that he couldn’t enter the room as he had planned in his mind. Instead, he was forced to turn ninety degrees and shimmy through the doorframe into the living room. Jade would’ve likened his walk to that of a crab.

‘I thought we agreed not to bring anything machinery-related into the living room,’ Jade said, placing his cup of tea onto the saucer without looking at Saphir.

‘It isn’t,’ Saphir said, quick to reply as always ‘and believe me, I’m not doing this because I want to.’

Jade turned to face the other man, who placed the package on the table. Now he could see that it took the form of a rectangular box, enveloped in purple wrapping paper. Combined with the light blue ribbon that adorned it length and width wise, lead Jade to believe that Saphir was telling the truth. Though he was at a loss as to why he wasn’t doing it of his own will. Saphir had a habit of refusing packages as he saw fit - after all, he was a former war criminal, and the risk of receiving a harmful package was high. For the most part, however, Jade attributed this to his snooty behaviour. He wasn’t nearly as bad as he had been under his former persona, but old habits died hard.

‘Aren’t you going to tell me who it’s from?’ Jade asked, standing to take his companion’s side.

‘I thought it would be best if you looked at the tag personally.’

Jade shot Saphir a look. The man knew he never dealt well with receiving presents - in particular, the gifts that Saphir himself had given Jade as a child were accepted grudgingly. Saphir said nothing, instead looking at the package and lifting his head up a little. Jade knew he had no other options.

He leant over the desk, and Saphir soon followed. Jade spied a little tag, protruding from behind a bow that matched the colour of the ribbon. How cliché, he thought to himself. He took the tag in between his thumb and index finger, before reading the contents aloud,

‘To Jade and Saphir, sorry that I couldn’t come over for the party but here’s a housewarming gift…’

Jade’s voice trailed up at the end. Indeed they had thrown a small housewarming party - celebrating how the two of them had made peace and co-habited in the same house without trying to kill each other. Even Nephry, Jade’s sister, had managed to find the time to visit them. That didn’t answer who had sent this package, as they had already opened up her gifts. Once again, he turned to face Saphir.

‘Your thumb is over the sender’s name, Jade.’ Saphir said, folding his arms.

Jade blinked. With his vacant hand, he took ahold of one of the sides before sliding his fingers away from the bottom of the card.

‘Best wishes … Peony.’

His fingers clenched as a small ‘oh’ came from his lips. Jade managed to resist the urge to place the palm of his hand upon his forehead. The reason why Saphir was so bitter about receiving this particular gift was all too clear. It was bad enough that Saphir’s jealousy of ‘old Pea-brain stealing Jade away from him’ made their relationship awkward, but there was no telling what their friend had gotten them.

Placing the tag beside the package on the table, Jade retrieved his cup and saucer of tea. There must have been at least two more sips worth left inside - and he was going to need it.

‘I don’t think I could open that thing without vomiting; you’ll have to do it.’

Saphir jumped, making a high-pitched groan through his gritted teeth. Normally he would have made a remark back, starting an argument that he would inevitably lose. For whatever reason, however, Saphir decided to sigh instead and comply. His delicate fingers became claws that tore open the paper, and ripped off the ribbons. Underneath it all was a plain, white box. Though they didn’t discuss it, the pair of them assumed that Peony had ordered the box to be wrapped so its contents didn’t fall out. Or perhaps it was so that they couldn’t see it.

Jade took a sip of his tea. He didn’t place the cup back on the saucer once he was done, ready to take another sip.

‘Well, aren’t you going to open it?’

‘Fine, fine.’

Saphir rolled his eyes, before gripping the sides of the box. Jade’s lips were at the edges of the cup, and his drink was already in his mouth. Inhaling as well as closing his eyes, Saphir began lifting the lid up into the air. He wasted no time in letting it hover above the box and tossed it over to one side. The second he felt the cardboard leave his touch, his eyes jolted open. Saphir and Jade gazed down at the contents of the box. 

The latter’s immediate response was to spit his tea out. It was fortunate that he hadn’t dropped his cup and saucer in surprise. Saphir would have commented, but he was too busy shrieking and cowering away from the box. His arms were soon around Jade’s arm in a vice-like grip. There was nothing living inside the box, and yet the two of them were equally disturbed by its contents. 

It was just like Peony to get them something like this.


End file.
